clichés Archives - Speakipedia

Cliché-o-Meter (Demo)

Dave Bricker — Sun, 28 Jul 2024 10:14:09 +0000

Load a demo and view the generated results. We all use clichés, often without realizing it—and there’s a place for them. However, every cliché makes your words less and less visible. We’ve heard those words before so we tune out, … More ☛

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Writing is Design: Avoid Writing Clichés for Better Prose

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:20 +0000

Since time immemorial, clichés have sneaked in the door when we least expect them to. They’re low-hanging fruit for writers who abscond with them quickly instead of striving for excellence. But to the trained eye, writing clichés stick out like … More ☛

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Verbs: Spice Up Your Writing with Verbs that Rock

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:19 +0000

Verbs are the engines that move your writing and your readers, but many authors don’t spend enough time choosing the right ones. If your writing was an electric guitar, your verbs would be the volume, tone, and distortion controls that … More ☛

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Writing is Design: Two-Word Writing Clichés

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:16 +0000

Two-word clichés are perhaps the least obvious kind. Unless we’re vigilant, they sneak into our prose, steal color, mask our individual writer’s voice, and make us sound like millions of other writers who mindlessly employ the same worn out word … More ☛

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English Pet Peeves

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:11 +0000

Discussions of English Language pet peeves provide an entertaining forum for the expression of ire. In fact, if a “pet” is something we cherish, and a “peeve” is something that annoys us, “pet peeves” are what we love to hate. … More ☛

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Encouragement for Those On The Path to Better Writing

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:10 +0000

So many writers get discouraged. This stinks. I quit. Others are overconfident. They’ve always had “a gift for words” so they fail to submit their prose to an editor’s scrutiny. I recently shared an email exchange with an editing client … More ☛

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Not Selling Books? Did you do the Math?

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:08 +0000

You threw a grand party but nobody came. Your novel is so good but you’re not selling books. What happened? You were supposed to appear on Oprah’s show. Terry Gross isn’t calling you for an interview. You may be an … More ☛

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Writing is Design: Shy Away from Timid and Passive Writing

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:07 +0000

“Passive writing” refers to a specific set of grammatical circumstances where emphasis switches from subject to object. The money was stolen by Jill. instead of Jill stole the money. This is confusing if you’re writing about Jill but perfectly acceptable … More ☛

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Writing is Design: Boring Words & Generic Descriptions – Not Nice!

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:07 +0000

Generic descriptions are telltale signs of lazy writing. Add color to your writing by replacing overused and boring words. It’s such a nice day today. He’s very bright. My dog is really funny. Bill is a good soccer player. Shari … More ☛

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Writing is Design – Writing Dialogue: He Said. She Said.

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:07 +0000

Dialogue presents challenges for writers. Some prefer to simply declare what was “said.” Many authors feel that “said” is both traditional and invisible: “I’m going to write some dialogue,” said Bill. “I look forward to reading it, ”said Helene. But … More ☛

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The Grammar of Book Design

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:07 +0000

Are images analogous to words? Is what makes a sentence sound “right” the same thing that makes an image “pop” or a jazz solo “burn?” The similarities are noteworthy but the differences are important. Just as the best of writers … More ☛

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Writing is Design: Eliminate THAT Fat From Your Writing

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:06 +0000

The word “that” is often abused. “That” is a perfectly useful pronoun but it’s often the useless fat that slows down an otherwise good sentence. I think that you and I need to talk. I told my readers that I … More ☛

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Book Cover Design: Judging a Book by its Cover – Part 3

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:06 +0000

This third installment of Judging a Book by its Cover looks at great book cover designs that won the 2012 Design Observer 50 Books-50 Covers award. Part 1 explored how most book design rarely rises above “competent.” Part 2 looked … More ☛

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Writing is Design: Avoid Bland Pronouns and Boring Verbs

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:06 +0000

As a graphic designer, I see numerous parallels between the values that create engaging imagery and the values that create engaging prose. So many designs fail because the designer arranged elements on a page without questioning their purpose, hierarchy, or … More ☛

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Book Cover Design: Judging a Book by its Cover – Part 2

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:05 +0000

Part 1 of Book Cover Design: Judging a Book by its Cover critiqued “professional” covers taken from Amazon’s Editor’s choice list. Read that article first as it provides background for this one. The article looked at design elements that worked … More ☛

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Book Cover Typefaces and Cover Design Horror Stories

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:04 +0000

I recently responded to a question in a writers’ forum from an author who was in the process of designing a cover for her novel set in a swamp in New Orleans. “I chose a ‘swampy’ font that hangs down … More ☛

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Book Cover Design: Judging a Book by Its Cover – Part 1

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:12:02 +0000

Nothing screams “amateur” like a poorly crafted book cover. The standards for book design aspired to by trade publishers are not all that high, but self-publishers routinely fall short of them. If you want your book to be taken seriously, … More ☛

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Why You Need a Professional Editor

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:11:59 +0000

After completing the final draft of a manuscript for my fifth book, I wanted a reality check. I hired a professional editor and learned something important about self-publishing. No matter how capable you are as a writer and proofreader, you … More ☛

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Proposed Standards for Book Typography

Dave Bricker — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:11:59 +0000

The word processor has placed new burdens on writers to understand how to use italics, big and small capitals, dashes, hyphens, initials, etc. Writers who do their own typesetting often produce mediocre results. Likewise, trade publishers sacrifice typographic aesthetics when … More ☛

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Cliché-o-Meter

Dave Bricker — Mon, 12 Feb 2024 00:49:00 +0000

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Why AI-Generated Marketing Copy Misses the Mark

Dave Bricker — Tue, 08 Aug 2023 14:00:37 +0000

Is AI-Generated Marketing Copy the powerful shortcut we’ve been told it is? The explosive growth of online content has done little for the evolution of graphic design or copywriting. Publishing has never been so easy, and the demands of producing … More ☛

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Don’t Hire Experts and Tell Them What to Do!

Dave Bricker — Mon, 14 Sep 2020 15:00:30 +0000

Too many professionals buy the story that expertise is a commodity: Hire an expert, tell them what to do, and get the job done. Experts are experts because they know more than you do about their professional discipline. Experts are … More ☛

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Who Are You to Judge?

Dave Bricker — Tue, 01 Sep 2020 15:00:18 +0000

Have you ever been disappointed with a judge’s call—in a courtroom, on a ball field, or in a contest? Who are you to judge? In August of 2020, I watched eight finalists compete in the World Championship of Public Speaking, … More ☛

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Potent Verbs Spice Up Your Storytelling

Dave Bricker — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 15:00:21 +0000

Verbs are the engines that move your writing, your speaking, your readers, and your audiences but many authors ands presenters don’t spend enough time choosing the right ones. If your writing was an electric guitar, your verbs would be the volume, … More ☛

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